


No time to die

by NaganSavior



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Denial of Feelings, Feelings, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Negan Being Negan (Walking Dead), Protective Rick Grimes, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:07:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25122880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaganSavior/pseuds/NaganSavior
Summary: [ Was I stupid to love you?Was I reckless to help?Was it obvious to everybody else.. ]
Relationships: Rick Grimes/Negan
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

Rick woke up in sweat. His head was hurting a lot. What had happened to him? 

Shit, he thought. Memories came back to him as he and Negan had gotten into a fight. Somehow Negan managed to knock him out and here he was now. Laying on a metal table, strapped by the wrists and in a semi dark room. He tried to wiggle out of them but it was impossible as they were tight. 

He laid back down at the table feeling his heart beating fast. Suddenly he heard talks outside the room and he swallowed dryly. The door to the room opened and Negan walked in with his smug grin. He locked behind him and stood above him. 

Rick let out a huff of annoyance. 

"Congratulations, you caught me" he told him bitterly. 

Negan licked his lips as he smirked at him. 

"Thanks Ricky. It's nice when your efforts are recognized" he told him as he laughed at Rick's obvious misery. 

"My people won't let this pass" Rick told him in an attempt to threaten him. 

"Don't worry Rick. They will be too busy mourning you to come after me" Negan answered as he walked towards the end of the metal table and turned some buttons to a console as it got turned on with a beep sound. 

Rick tried to look down at what Negan was doing and he saw a red light being pointed at him. 

"What is that?" Rick asked although he had a feeling it was nothing good. 

"A death ray, do you like it? It is for you. My men discovered it on a run and turns out it will be useful" Negan walked towards him again as the ray hummed to life "such a shame you are gonna die, you really are a handsome one" he said as he caressed Rick's cheek. 

Rick averted his head feeling his eyes stinging. All he had survived all these years and he would get killed by a death ray. 

The ray started moving towards him as Rick struggled to get free. Suddenly it stopped working and the lights went out. The only source or light was a window that the room had that brought a little bit of light from outside. 

"Damn it" said Negan annoyed "the power must be down"

Rick scoffed at Negan as he was the one suffering here and not him. As soon as the power returned he was gonna die. 

Negan sat down beside him and looked down with anger as Rick tried to get comfortable at the metal table although it was hard. 

"You look like an agitated cat when you are angry, you know that?" Rick told him in an attempt of humor as Negan gave him an angry glare. 

"I'm sure the power will be on soon so you can kill me with a fancy death ray ,don't worry" Rick told him as he sighed. 

Negan glared at him again and a silence fell between them. 

Rick thought of the situation that he was in. That was it. Soon he would die and he would never get to see his family again. 

He tried to swallow the bitterness he was feeling. He had to keep his hope that he would get out of this as well. 

"Hey Negan" he told him "do I get a last meal?"

Negan sighed as he looked at him. 

"No, you don't"

Rick let out a huff as he wouldn't even get that.

"Are we gonna sit in silence until the power comes back?" Rick questioned as Negan wouldn't normally shut up and now he was not saying anything. 

"I thought it annoyed you when I talk" Negan said as he crossed his arms in front of him "that's what your stink eyes tell me at least"

"Well they usually do annoy me but these are my last moments and I know that you probably don't care how it ends for me but I just-" Rick hesitated "-I want my last moments of life to be bright. So tell me something that made you happy?"

Negan just looked at him trying to consider what Rick was trying to play, maybe he thought he could convince him to release him. Something that made him happy? It's not like he didn't have any happy memories but he didn't know if he wished to share them with Rick. But something about his puppy blue eyes that were looking at him with hope even when he had strapped him to a table, made him rethink it. Rick was in his death bed, who was he gonna tell either way? 

"Fine you win" he said "I'll tell you"

Rick's eyes brightened at that. 

"Me and my wife-erm Lucille ,met at University. We were studying different things" Negan said as he relaxed to his seat "One day I was at University. We met in front of the student union as he was trying to get people to sign up for mailing lists, and somehow I ended up signing up for a date. A Sunday afternoon meal and walk in the park. Skip ahead a couple of days and I’m late for an important lecture. As someone rushed in front of me, I screeched to a halt, beeping my horn manically, as a collision was imminent. I lent out of the window screaming “LOOK WHERE YOU’RE GOING IT’S A ROAD, IT’S FOR CARS” only to see my date and future wife, standing inches away from my car and peering in and laughing. I tried to seem cool and calm, with my car halted in the middle of the junction. “Oh hey, it’s you again…” I said, winking, before quickly parking my car and letting the world swallow me up. I was very embarrassed, luckily she laughed about it and we went on a second date after all"

Rick laughed at the story imagining Negan almost hitting his date with the car. It seemed very Negan-like. 

"What about you?" Negan questioned "any fun memories?"

"Carl was about 3.5 years old and he was a very nice and kind boy. We’re still in bed early in the morning and suddenly, he starts to poke me in the eye. I ask him what he’s doing and why. He goes, " Dad, I want you to become a pirate!”

Negan chuckled at that. 

"Little serial killer since then" Negan said as he smiled thinking of Carl. In some way he felt bad that he was gonna kill his dad and for his little sister also. But he had him strapped up now so it was too late to back out of it. 

Rick felt his eyes stinging again as he thought of his pending death. 

"You know no matter how much I want to blame you right now, I can't" he told Negan "my life was marked by tragedies and pain. My kids are the only good things that came out of it along with Alexandria. It will hurt them a lot when I die but at least they will remember me as I was. I always tried my best and do what I thought was right. Yes, I wasn't always right, I made mistakes but I always had in mind how much I wanted to protect them" Rick said as tears rolled down his eyes. 

Negan swallowed hard at that feeling his own eyes stinging as well as the power came back and the death ray got activated again. Rick thought of his kids and everyone he had lost all these years as the death ray moved closer and closer to him. He expected to feel pain from the inside as the rays killed him and he sobbed as his vision got blurry. 

But nothing happened. Rick looked at the ray and saw the red light fading away. Suddenly the straps were removed from his wrists and he felt air against his skin where they were before. 

Rick sat up and whipped the tears from his eyes. Negan was avoiding his eyes. 

"Go now" Negan told him. 

"But-" said Rick in a trembling voice "why?"

"It doesn't matter Rick" Negan told him as he put the controller away "go now, before I change my mind"

Rick jumped out of the metal table and glanced at Negan one more time as he unlocked the door and got out. 

Negan sighed as he looked at the table were Rick had been strapped on. He couldn't bring himself to kill him. His adorable family would miss him and plus they would shred Negan to pieces. He hated himself for being so weak over a guy who had caused him so many problems. He ran his fingers through his hair considering what he should do next when suddenly there was a knock on the door. 

"Sir, Grimes escaped" Dwight told him. 

Negan sighed again. "That's because I let him go. Now don't disturb me again"

He looked at the death ray feeling lost. Negan couldn't believe how close he had come to kill Rick.

The door reopened behind him and Negan was about to yell at Dwight to leave him alone. He needed time to think when he saw Rick standing there in front of him. 

"Rick I-" said Negan "what are you doing here? I let you go"

Rick walked closer to him as he cornered Negan against the table that he had been strapped on only some moments ago. 

"I don't know if this is some sort of Stockholm Syndrome but...I knew there was good in you" he told him feeling emotional. 

"I was ready to fry you alive Rick" Negan mumbled "what are you talking about?"

"You didn't though. You let me go" said Rick with proud in his eyes. 

Negan swallowed hard and his hazel eyes met Rick's blue ones. He focused on his mouth but he was hesitant, he didn't want to scare him away. 

Suddenly Rick's lips were on his and he was kissing him passionately. Negan couldn't believe that Rick Grimes was willingly kissing him but he didn't think about it much longer and kissed him back equally passionately. 

Soon they were both out of breath and they parted panting. 

"That was...something" mumbled Negan as he looked at Rick grinning at him. 

"You are such an asshole" Rick told him as he squeezed him tightly into a hug "but I love you"

Negan felt his heart alive after years as he hugged him back. 

"Love you too, you prick"


	2. Chapter 2

"Let me take care of you Rick" Negan pleaded "as an apology for everything I put you through and I'll return you first thing in the morning" 

He didn't want to tell him goodbye just yet because he had no idea when he would be seeing him again. 

Rick considered it. His people and kids would be worried sick by now but it was only a night after all. Now that he was sure that he wasn't going to die, it wouldn't harm to stay the night he guessed. 

"Will you throw the death ray away?" Rick questioned as he looked at it. He didn't want to risk anyone else getting hurt by that machine. 

"Yes I promise" told him Negan as he bit his lip. He didn't want to keep the thing that almost killed Rick either way. 

"I will stay then" told him Rick as Negan's eyes brightened at that. 

Negan pulled him in for a hug. 

"Are you happy?" asked Rick as he let himself be surrounded by Negan's warmth. 

"Nope" said Negan but it was obvious that he was lying. "Let's go to my bedroom, I'm tired of this room" as he started walking to the door. 

"What will your people say if they see us walking casually together?" Rick asked worried. 

Negan stopped to his tracks as he thought about it. They couldn't be seen walking like a couple. 

"I have an idea but you're not gonna like it..."

\---

Dwight watched Negan parading a tied up Rick at the corridors and he sighed as he knew that it was all just an act. 

First he was talking how much he wanted to kill Rick, then when he finally got him he let Rick go and now he was acting like he was going to hurt him again when it was obvious that he wouldn't do anything to him. At least the violent kind. 

Dwight sighed again and got on with his works. Rick understood that they had to play an act but he hated being paraded like that. At least now he knew what Negan was really feeling and that no harm would come to him although he caught several aggressive looks as he walked with Negan to his room. Maybe it would be for the best if he had left to not endanger himself. 

Negan hated to have to do this but there was no other choice. He had to pretend he would be harming Rick to get away with him staying there. He tried to play it confident and that Rick was just a prisoner and nothing more but he still hated it. The walk to his room felt longer than usually. When they finally reached it he let Rick in and locked the door behind them. He untied him and when he did Rick's lips were on his. 

"Someone is pretty needy" Negan laughed softly. 

"Come on Negan" Rick whined "it was already humiliating to be seen like that by everyone. You told me you would take care of me"

Negan cornered him against the door and looked at him seriously. 

"Hey" he told him "I don't care what anyone else thinks ok? You matter to me the most and don't forget that" Negan said "now let me take care of you" 

He kissed him softly and Rick did the same. 

Negan led him to his big comfortable bed and undressed them both. He wished he could have Rick everyday and that moment he promised to himself that he would try to fix things between their communities so they wouldn't have to hide anymore. 

"I love you Rick Grimes" he whispered to him. 

\---

"You are like an adorable burrito" Negan laughed as he had covered Rick with blankets and he had him in his arms. 

"Well it's cold so don't mind being a burrito" answered Rick sleepily as he moved closer to Negan for warmth. 

"Sleep Ricky, I got you" he told him softly. 

Rick hummed in agreement and fell asleep as the emotional exhaustion of the day got to him. 

Negan stared at him and all he wanted was to stay up all night and keep him close. He was scared that he would disappear if he let him. But he was right here in his arms and sleeping soundly. 

He never thought that he would be glad of a blackout but he was. 

It had brought them together and he couldn't be happier. He laid as well and fell asleep as well ,at Rick's calm breathing. For the first time after a long time he really was excited for this brand new day that was coming.


End file.
